Error 38 when texting certain contacts

Gorgon82
Gorgon82 Posts: 8 ✭✭
edited October 2023 in My Mobile

Hi everyone,

I have a Pixel 6 on Android 14. Last Tuesday afternoon I tried texting my Dad and I got an error "Can't send message with Fizz, error 38". I get the same message when texting my Mom, but I don't have any issues with any of my other contacts (both SMS/MMS and RCS work fine for everyone else.

My parents are both on iPhones on Bell, but my work phone is also an iPhone on Bell and I can send messages to it fine. I can receive texts from my parents, I just can't send. My parents have been receiving texts from other people, including other Android users (which goes over SMS not iMessage).

I saw suggestions to clear the cache in Google Messages, to reboot the phone, and to go on airplane mode for a while. I've tried all these things and nothing makes any difference.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks!

Answers

  • Jess_i88b6
    Jess_i88b6 Posts: 13,868 ✭✭
    edited October 2023

    Can you try to send a message typing the phone number instead taking it from the address book


    can you also try to send it using +1 in front of the number

  • Gorgon82
    Gorgon82 Posts: 8 ✭✭

    Tried that and it doesn't work... same error. What is odd is that when i create a new group with both of the contacts that dont work, they do receive the MMS messages... so it's only SMS messages that aren't working to these 2 contacts.

  • Jess_i88b6
    Jess_i88b6 Posts: 13,868 ✭✭
    edited October 2023
    https://forum.fizz.ca/en/discussion/comment/6742799#Comment_6742799

    MMS is using the data, it is very strange and I don't know the answer

    Can yu try the Fizz's sim to the iPhone?

    In your phone are you using the original message application?

  • Gorgon82
    Gorgon82 Posts: 8 ✭✭

    its literally only 2 phone numbers that i'm having this problem with. since this started i've been able to send SMS/MMS/RCS to at least 12 other contacts with no issues. I'm using Google Messages, the default texting app for Android.

    My work phone is locked to Bell so I cant switch the SIMs unfortunately.

  • Andrei_ref_R7VK1
    Andrei_ref_R7VK1 Posts: 8,114 ✭✭
    edited October 2023

    Could you switch the carrier from Fizz to Fizz EXT and try again?

  • Gorgon82
    Gorgon82 Posts: 8 ✭✭

    Switched manually to Fizz EXT, same error. Switched back to Fizz, still getting the error.

  • Andrei_ref_R7VK1
    Andrei_ref_R7VK1 Posts: 8,114 ✭✭

    Indeed weird issue. Try to find another phone and test it on it.

  • authorone
    authorone Posts: 97 ✭✭

    When sending a message, you might encounter Error 38 if your recipient’s phone is turned off or out of service.

  • Gorgon82
    Gorgon82 Posts: 8 ✭✭

    I can send MMS fine and WhatsApp messages so I know that their phones are not off

  • Whizz
    Whizz Posts: 23,038 admin

    Hello Gorgon82,
    I’m sorry for the situation you have encountered.
    In order to help you with this situation, please contact us privately with the phone numbers with which you encounter this issue and provide us with the date/hour/minute at which you tried to send the messages to them.
    Pplease use the chat bubble located in the lower right-hand corner of the Solution Hub pages. If you have trouble finding it, click on the following link (with an incognito window ctrl+shift+n), and the chat bubble will appear within 15-20 seconds: https://fizz.ca/en/faq/im-unable-log-my-fizz-account-what-do-i-do.
    I hope you have a pleasant day!
    -Mihai

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